Complications
by Blood Moon Rising154
Summary: Hermione has to drink polyjuice potion to make her look like Malfoy's wife and stay in the Malfoy manor for a week to learn information about his plans as a death eater; to see if he's planning to build up a death eater army with the few other death eaters still around and loyal, as well as recruit others. But what happens when things get complicated? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter One

I fidgeted nervously with the hem of my T-shirt as I waited. I couldn't believe I was about to do this. I absolutely couldn't believe it. Forget doing it, why in the bloody hell had I agreed to it?! I hadn't been part of The Order for years and this was the mission I was going on as soon as I got back!  
I was about to drink a polyjuice potion so I could look like Astoria Malfoy and live in the Malfoy manor for a week to get information about Draco and other death eaters.  
I was out of my mind, wasn't I?  
My panicking was interrupted when Harry and Ron walked into the bedroom I was waiting in. I slowly stood from the bed, my hands dropping away from my shirt as I eyed the goblet Ron was holding warily. I could smell the foul liquid from across the room, making my face screw up in disgust. Without a word, I held out my hand, waiting for Ron to hand over the goblet. When he hesitated, I simply rolled my eyes. "Ronald, the quicker you hand over the potion, the sooner this will all be over with," I snapped. With a glare, Ron handed me the goblet and without giving myself a chance to think about it, I downed it's contents in one gulp. Once the taste registered, I made a gagging noise and threw the goblet across the room. Harry and Ron both were looking at me with sympathy stricken faces.  
I could feel my body morphing, my features changing. I caught sight of my reflection in the window across the room from where I stood once the nauseous feeling faded. My hair had become straight and a bit shorter, a darker brown than before, and my skin had become even more pale than it normally was. I was maybe a few inches taller now and my features were more defined. At least my clothes still fit me, more or less. Not counting my bra. Apparently, she was a bit flat chested.  
But I was the exact replica of Astoria Malfoy.  
"We've packed plenty of flasks of polyjuice potion in your bag to take with you," Harry said, making my gaze snap over to him. He was holding out the clothes he had taken from Astoria's dresser when they had kidnapped her. I felt horrible about the whole kidnapping deal, but she was being well taken care of and we didn't really have any other choice. I took the clothes from him with an absent nod, still lost in my own thoughts. I was going to have to pretend to be the wife of the man I have hated since I went to Hogwarts. How was I supposed to act like I was in love with him?  
"I feel so sorry for you, Hermione. You're having to pretend to be Malfoy's wife," Ron remarked with a grimace. I grimaced as well as the words were spoken outloud for the first time during this whole exchange. "Well, it's for an important cause," I said weakly. At least, that was what I was going to keep telling myself.  
Harry put down my bag on the bed then sat a piece of parchment next to my bag. He slipped his wand out from his pocket, muttering a few words beneath his breath with his wand pointing straight at the parchment. The parchment glowed for just a few moments, then the light faded and Harry nodded in satisfaction, sliding his wand back into his pocket. "There. Now all you have to do is touch that parchment and you'll arrive at the Malfoy manor," Harry said.  
For a moment, an awkward silence filled the room then Ron and Harry both hugged me briefly before leaving, the door shutting with a soft click behind them. With a sound almost like a sigh of defeat, I changed out of my clothes and slipped on hers. I was now wearing a skirt and a dress shirt, along with stockings and heeled shoes instead of my T-shirt, sneakers, and jeans. I turned to the bed and picked up my bag, pulling the strap over my shoulder, then I just stared at the blank parchment lying innocently on the bed.  
I just wasn't ready, yet. How could I be? But I had to be. With a deep breath, I cleared my mind, relaxing every part of my body one limb at a time before I reached forward for the parchment. Abruptly, everything went black; I was being pressed very hard from all directions, breathing was difficult, my chest was getting tight, it felt like my eyes were sinking inside my head, and my ears were roaring. The sensations ended rather quickly, though. I landed on a pavement driveway in front of a large gate in a daze. The first thing I noticed while I tried to get my bearings was that beside the doors was a fingerprint scanner.  
I swore beneath my breath. Did the polyjuice potion go far enough as to change fingerprints? If not, then I was dead, for sure. Or at the very least this whole mission was a failure.  
Only one way to find out, I suppose.  
I approached the gate doors cautiously, shooting nervous glances around me. Once I was in front of the fingerprint scanner, I hesitantly pressed my thumb against the scanner.  
With a bleep of acceptance, the gates swung open. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding before stepping purposely through the gates and making my way towards the massive front doors of the manor. I would call it a palace, but then again I live in an apartment complex with my cat. So my comparison doesn't mean much.  
Before I could reach out and push open the doors, they were pulled open for me. I blinked in surprise at the now open doors, slowly stepping inside and peeking around to find the source. Standing behind each large door was a house elf. At least, I was pretty sure since their large eyes were peering at me from behind the door. "Thank you," I said politely. It was an automatic response because house elves deserved the same courtesy as everyone else. Obviously.  
But they were staring at me as if I had grown another head.  
"Is Miss Astoria well? Did house elves do something wrong?!" one of them squeaked out in alarm.  
Crap. I forgot. Malfoy's don't treat house elves with the respect they deserve. Fuming on the inside, I spoke tightly, "My mistake. I didn't look closely enough to see it was vermin." Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and marched down the entryway hallway and made my way up the marble stairway. Once I was at the top of the stairway, I turned down the hallway and once I was out of sight of the house elves, I paused. I allowed my gaze to wander around the hallway; there were framed pictures of Malfoy and Astoria at lavish events, candelabras placed on tables lined down the hallway, and the hallway was a sterile white marble, as well as the floor. It was all too...extreme for me. I honestly didn't like it. I preferred cozy over extravagant.  
With a shake of my head, I brought myself back to the task at hand and continued walking down the hallway, peeking into each magnificent room until I reached the one at the end of the hallway, noting the king sized bed against the wall across from me, a work desk against the far wall along with a wardrobe on one side of it and door on the other, most likely leading to a closet. There was a door beside bed that most likely led to a bathroom and a dresser across from the bed. The walls were the same as the rest of the house: sterile white. Except in this room, the floor had plush royal green carpet. I assumed Draco had put his foot down about this part of the house, since there was actually color here. I walked quickly over to the desk across the room and slid into the seat, shuffling through the papers that were already on top of the desk. These were just mostly letters from the Ministry and his family, a couple of letters from Astoria's friends. Nothing about death eaters. I started pulling out drawers and sorting through blank parchment and a clutter of notes. I absent mindedly dropped my bag onto the floor as I skimmed my eyes over one of the letters to Draco from the Ministry.  
"What are you doing?"  
I was so absorbed in what I was doing, I jumped close to a foot in the air, landing on my bum on the floor. "Ow," I complained, pushing myself up and rubbing my behind. Then I remembered what had scared me. I whipped around to face Draco, my hands on the back of the chair to hold myself up when my legs threatened to give out because of my horrid nerves. I had opened my mouth to respond, even though I hadn't even come up with a excuse yet, but my speech was taken from me.  
Jesus, he had gotten fit.  
Draco's platinum blonde hair fell into his cutting grey eyes, his skin a flawless porcelain like color. He had loosened his tie from around his neck, the first few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, and he had his hands braced against the door frame.  
He arched his perfect eyebrows at me. "Well?" he asked, sounding patient. This wasn't the Malfoy I knew and hated. He must really love Astoria.  
Or maybe he had changed himself.  
"I-I was looking for my letter from my s-sister Daphne," I stuttered. He eyed me curiously. I realized that Astoria probably never stuttered. Mustering up whatever bit of courage I had, I then said accusingly, "Why? Are you hiding something?" He removed his hands from the door frame and held them up in mock surrender. "Nothing at all, love." There was laughter in his voice and sparkling in his eyes. I took a deep breath the gave a curt nod. "Okay then," I said shortly and turned to push the chair beneath the desk.  
Then suddenly, I felt a pair of strong arms snake around my waist and his chin rested on my shoulder. "Bad day?" he asked softly, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into my stomach as he pressed a kiss against my jaw. My breath hitched in my throat, my chest tightening. I hadn't been held in ages, not since Ron and me broke up. It felt...nice.  
I gradually began to relax in his arms. I hadn't been expecting him to be nice, even if I was his "wife". He'd never been nice to his girlfriends in school and such. It was in a way disappointing; now I couldn't take out years of rage on him without feeling guilty. Then again, it was also nice that this week may not be torturous.  
"Just stressful," I finally responded. I felt him bury his face in the crook of my neck, murmuring against my skin, "I can relate,but I missed you." My heart was pounding against my rib cage. I wasn't actually his wife, I was a bloody imposter and if he knew who I actually was, he'd probably send me to the dementors. Also, I hated him! I was being held by someone who used to tease me to no end and call me a mudblood. I pushed away the rage and turned in his arms and offered him a false smile. "I missed you, too, Draco," I spoke quietly, fearing that my voice would break as it normally did when I lied. For good measure, I leaned up and brushed my lips lightly against his cheek before pulling away from his embrace and turning around and walking towards the dresser, wiping my lips furiously with the back of my hand while he couldn't see me.  
I heard the sound of rustling clothes and I turned curiously to see what it was.  
I quickly whipped back around again when I saw he was getting undressed. "So...erm...how was your day?" I asked awkwardly. I was looking out the large bay windows that led to a balcony on the one wall that didn't have a single thing against it. The sun had set and stars were twinkling above the trees in the black sky. I focused on those, the beauty of the stars taking me away from the task at hand. "Fine. Would've been better if I had you with me, though," he replied nonchalantly. I felt my cheeks heat at his words, even though I knew he wasn't talking about me, but Astoria. "Anyway, it was just a bunch of mumbo jumbo talk. About ranking in more people and whatever. It's not like they're actually going to do it," he muttered. I froze for a moment then turned slowly to face him, relieved that he at least had on a pair of bottoms. I averted my eyes from his defined chest. "Really? What makes you think that?" I lifted my gaze to meet his as I spoke calmly. He shrugged his broad shoulders, raking his fingers through his hair. "Because Voldemort is dead. He was the one who kept all of them going. He was the master mind. What's the point now?" I frowned faintly, considering his words. He did have a point. Why hadn't I, the brainiac, not thought of this already?  
I was still caught up in my own head that when Draco walked towards me, I didn't notice until he began unbuttoning my blouse. I looked up at him in alarm and when he saw my expression, he laughed. "Love, I'm not going to try anything. Not right now, at least. I know you're on your period, you told me this yesterday," he chuckled. "I'm just helping you get ready for bed. You look wore out. And this time, I know it's not my fault," he added cheekily. My cheeks burned with what I knew was a raging on blush, which only made him laugh all the more. Forgetting myself, I whined, "Stop laughing at me, you arse!" I caught myself in surprise, but it was too late. I was actually...joking around with him. Like I was actually the one married to him. But this was how I was supposed to act, right?  
He shook his head, chuckles still rumbling through his chest. "Okay, my love." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead before he finished unbuttoning my blouse, pushing it off my shoulders. The silky material slid down my arms easily and fell to the floor behind me. I stood still as a statue when he crouched down in front of me and began to slide my skirt down along with my stockings until I had to pick up my feet so he could slip them completely off.  
I was standing in front of Draco Malfoy in only my undergarments. But then I remembered, he was only seeing his wife Astoria. Not the real me, Hermione Granger.  
I blinked in surprise when he stood, holding out the button up shirt he had been wearing when he came home. I gingerly took it from him, making sure our skin never made contact. I slid my arms through the sleeves, pulling it up to my shoulders and began buttoning it. He captured both of my hands in his when I made it to the mid button. "There," he murmured. "You look lovely." I blushed once again. I had never been called lovely before. Not even by Ron. With a frown, I realized once again, he thought Astoria looked lovely. Not me. I smiled politely at him. "Thank you, love," I murmured.  
But I wasn't expecting him to lean in and press a soft kiss against my lips.  
For a moment, I was frozen. I couldn't respond. Then my mind shouted at me, play along you idiot! So I returned the kiss, just enough so it would pass for a kiss. Just because he was nice now, didn't dim my hate for him. It wasn't me he was being nice to.  
He was being nice to his true love.  
He pulled away and then led me to the king sized bed, climbing into it then tugging me in behind him. He slid beneath the covers and I mimicked him, tugging them up to my chin once he released my hands. He wrapped a hand around my waist and pulled me against his chest, hiding his face in my hair.  
"I love you."  
My heart stopped. Just completely stopped. I couldn't respond to that. I just couldn't. I didn't love him. I couldn't lie with something that big.  
But it looked like I wouldn't have to. Before I could even muster up a response, his breathing deepened and his arm went limp around my waist. After what felt like hours, I allowed my own eyes to close.  
I fell asleep listening to the heartbeat of the man I hate. I fidgeted nervously with the hem of my T-shirt as I waited. I couldn't believe I was about to do this. I absolutely couldn't believe it. Forget doing it, why in the bloody hell had I agreed to it?! I hadn't been part of The Order for years and this was the mission I was going on as soon as I got back!  
I was about to drink a polyjuice potion so I could look like Astoria Malfoy and live in the Malfoy manor for a week to get information about Draco and other death eaters.  
I was out of my mind, wasn't I?  
My panicking was interrupted when Harry and Ron walked into the bedroom I was waiting in. I slowly stood from the bed, my hands dropping away from my shirt as I eyed the goblet Ron was holding warily. I could smell the foul liquid from across the room, making my face screw up in disgust. Without a word, I held out my hand, waiting for Ron to hand over the goblet. When he hesitated, I simply rolled my eyes. "Ronald, the quicker you hand over the potion, the sooner this will all be over with," I snapped. With a glare, Ron handed me the goblet and without giving myself a chance to think about it, I downed it's contents in one gulp. Once the taste registered, I made a gagging noise and threw the goblet across the room. Harry and Ron both were looking at me with sympathy stricken faces.  
I could feel my body morphing, my features changing. I caught sight of my reflection in the window across the room from where I stood once the nauseous feeling faded. My hair had become straight and a bit shorter, a darker brown than before, and my skin had become even more pale than it normally was. I was maybe a few inches taller now and my features were more defined. At least my clothes still fit me, more or less. Not counting my bra. Apparently, she was a bit flat chested.  
But I was the exact replica of Astoria Malfoy.  
"We've packed plenty of flasks of polyjuice potion in your bag to take with you," Harry said, making my gaze snap over to him. He was holding out the clothes he had taken from Astoria's dresser when they had kidnapped her. I felt horrible about the whole kidnapping deal, but she was being well taken care of and we didn't really have any other choice. I took the clothes from him with an absent nod, still lost in my own thoughts. I was going to have to pretend to be the wife of the man I have hated since I went to Hogwarts. How was I supposed to act like I was in love with him?  
"I feel so sorry for you, Hermione. You're having to pretend to be Malfoy's wife," Ron remarked with a grimace. I grimaced as well as the words were spoken outloud for the first time during this whole exchange. "Well, it's for an important cause," I said weakly. At least, that was what I was going to keep telling myself.  
Harry put down my bag on the bed then sat a piece of parchment next to my bag. He slipped his wand out from his pocket, muttering a few words beneath his breath with his wand pointing straight at the parchment. The parchment glowed for just a few moments, then the light faded and Harry nodded in satisfaction, sliding his wand back into his pocket. "There. Now all you have to do is touch that parchment and you'll arrive at the Malfoy manor," Harry said.  
For a moment, an awkward silence filled the room then Ron and Harry both hugged me briefly before leaving, the door shutting with a soft click behind them. With a sound almost like a sigh of defeat, I changed out of my clothes and slipped on hers. I was now wearing a skirt and a dress shirt, along with stockings and heeled shoes instead of my T-shirt, sneakers, and jeans. I turned to the bed and picked up my bag, pulling the strap over my shoulder, then I just stared at the blank parchment lying innocently on the bed.  
I just wasn't ready, yet. How could I be? But I had to be. With a deep breath, I cleared my mind, relaxing every part of my body one limb at a time before I reached forward for the parchment. Abruptly, everything went black; I was being pressed very hard from all directions, breathing was difficult, my chest was getting tight, it felt like my eyes were sinking inside my head, and my ears were roaring. The sensations ended rather quickly, though. I landed on a pavement driveway in front of a large gate in a daze. The first thing I noticed while I tried to get my bearings was that beside the doors was a fingerprint scanner.  
I swore beneath my breath. Did the polyjuice potion go far enough as to change fingerprints? If not, then I was dead, for sure. Or at the very least this whole mission was a failure.  
Only one way to find out, I suppose.  
I approached the gate doors cautiously, shooting nervous glances around me. Once I was in front of the fingerprint scanner, I hesitantly pressed my thumb against the scanner.  
With a bleep of acceptance, the gates swung open. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding before stepping purposely through the gates and making my way towards the massive front doors of the manor. I would call it a palace, but then again I live in an apartment complex with my cat. So my comparison doesn't mean much.  
Before I could reach out and push open the doors, they were pulled open for me. I blinked in surprise at the now open doors, slowly stepping inside and peeking around to find the source. Standing behind each large door was a house elf. At least, I was pretty sure since their large eyes were peering at me from behind the door. "Thank you," I said politely. It was an automatic response because house elves deserved the same courtesy as everyone else. Obviously.  
But they were staring at me as if I had grown another head.  
"Is Miss Astoria well? Did house elves do something wrong?!" one of them squeaked out in alarm.  
Crap. I forgot. Malfoy's don't treat house elves with the respect they deserve. Fuming on the inside, I spoke tightly, "My mistake. I didn't look closely enough to see it was vermin." Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and marched down the entryway hallway and made my way up the marble stairway. Once I was at the top of the stairway, I turned down the hallway and once I was out of sight of the house elves, I paused. I allowed my gaze to wander around the hallway; there were framed pictures of Malfoy and Astoria at lavish events, candelabras placed on tables lined down the hallway, and the hallway was a sterile white marble, as well as the floor. It was all too...extreme for me. I honestly didn't like it. I preferred cozy over extravagant.  
With a shake of my head, I brought myself back to the task at hand and continued walking down the hallway, peeking into each magnificent room until I reached the one at the end of the hallway, noting the king sized bed against the wall across from me, a work desk against the far wall along with a wardrobe on one side of it and door on the other, most likely leading to a closet. There was a door beside bed that most likely led to a bathroom and a dresser across from the bed. The walls were the same as the rest of the house: sterile white. Except in this room, the floor had plush royal green carpet. I assumed Draco had put his foot down about this part of the house, since there was actually color here. I walked quickly over to the desk across the room and slid into the seat, shuffling through the papers that were already on top of the desk. These were just mostly letters from the Ministry and his family, a couple of letters from Astoria's friends. Nothing about death eaters. I started pulling out drawers and sorting through blank parchment and a clutter of notes. I absent mindedly dropped my bag onto the floor as I skimmed my eyes over one of the letters to Draco from the Ministry.  
"What are you doing?"  
I was so absorbed in what I was doing, I jumped close to a foot in the air, landing on my bum on the floor. "Ow," I complained, pushing myself up and rubbing my behind. Then I remembered what had scared me. I whipped around to face Draco, my hands on the back of the chair to hold myself up when my legs threatened to give out because of my horrid nerves. I had opened my mouth to respond, even though I hadn't even come up with a excuse yet, but my speech was taken from me.  
Jesus, he had gotten fit.  
Draco's platinum blonde hair fell into his cutting grey eyes, his skin a flawless porcelain like color. He had loosened his tie from around his neck, the first few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, and he had his hands braced against the door frame.  
He arched his perfect eyebrows at me. "Well?" he asked, sounding patient. This wasn't the Malfoy I knew and hated. He must really love Astoria.  
Or maybe he had changed himself.  
"I-I was looking for my letter from my s-sister Daphne," I stuttered. He eyed me curiously. I realized that Astoria probably never stuttered. Mustering up whatever bit of courage I had, I then said accusingly, "Why? Are you hiding something?" He removed his hands from the door frame and held them up in mock surrender. "Nothing at all, love." There was laughter in his voice and sparkling in his eyes. I took a deep breath the gave a curt nod. "Okay then," I said shortly and turned to push the chair beneath the desk.  
Then suddenly, I felt a pair of strong arms snake around my waist and his chin rested on my shoulder. "Bad day?" he asked softly, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into my stomach as he pressed a kiss against my jaw. My breath hitched in my throat, my chest tightening. I hadn't been held in ages, not since Ron and me broke up. It felt...nice.  
I gradually began to relax in his arms. I hadn't been expecting him to be nice, even if I was his "wife". He'd never been nice to his girlfriends in school and such. It was in a way disappointing; now I couldn't take out years of rage on him without feeling guilty. Then again, it was also nice that this week may not be torturous.  
"Just stressful," I finally responded. I felt him bury his face in the crook of my neck, murmuring against my skin, "I can relate,but I missed you." My heart was pounding against my rib cage. I wasn't actually his wife, I was a bloody imposter and if he knew who I actually was, he'd probably send me to the dementors. Also, I hated him! I was being held by someone who used to tease me to no end and call me a mudblood. I pushed away the rage and turned in his arms and offered him a false smile. "I missed you, too, Draco," I spoke quietly, fearing that my voice would break as it normally did when I lied. For good measure, I leaned up and brushed my lips lightly against his cheek before pulling away from his embrace and turning around and walking towards the dresser, wiping my lips furiously with the back of my hand while he couldn't see me.  
I heard the sound of rustling clothes and I turned curiously to see what it was.  
I quickly whipped back around again when I saw he was getting undressed. "So...erm...how was your day?" I asked awkwardly. I was looking out the large bay windows that led to a balcony on the one wall that didn't have a single thing against it. The sun had set and stars were twinkling above the trees in the black sky. I focused on those, the beauty of the stars taking me away from the task at hand. "Fine. Would've been better if I had you with me, though," he replied nonchalantly. I felt my cheeks heat at his words, even though I knew he wasn't talking about me, but Astoria. "Anyway, it was just a bunch of mumbo jumbo talk. About ranking in more people and whatever. It's not like they're actually going to do it," he muttered. I froze for a moment then turned slowly to face him, relieved that he at least had on a pair of bottoms. I averted my eyes from his defined chest. "Really? What makes you think that?" I lifted my gaze to meet his as I spoke calmly. He shrugged his broad shoulders, raking his fingers through his hair. "Because Voldemort is dead. He was the one who kept all of them going. He was the master mind. What's the point now?" I frowned faintly, considering his words. He did have a point. Why hadn't I, the brainiac, not thought of this already?  
I was still caught up in my own head that when Draco walked towards me, I didn't notice until he began unbuttoning my blouse. I looked up at him in alarm and when he saw my expression, he laughed. "Love, I'm not going to try anything. Not right now, at least. I know you're on your period, you told me this yesterday," he chuckled. "I'm just helping you get ready for bed. You look wore out. And this time, I know it's not my fault," he added cheekily. My cheeks burned with what I knew was a raging on blush, which only made him laugh all the more. Forgetting myself, I whined, "Stop laughing at me, you arse!" I caught myself in surprise, but it was too late. I was actually...joking around with him. Like I was actually the one married to him. But this was how I was supposed to act, right?  
He shook his head, chuckles still rumbling through his chest. "Okay, my love." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead before he finished unbuttoning my blouse, pushing it off my shoulders. The silky material slid down my arms easily and fell to the floor behind me. I stood still as a statue when he crouched down in front of me and began to slide my skirt down along with my stockings until I had to pick up my feet so he could slip them completely off.  
I was standing in front of Draco Malfoy in only my undergarments. But then I remembered, he was only seeing his wife Astoria. Not the real me, Hermione Granger.  
I blinked in surprise when he stood, holding out the button up shirt he had been wearing when he came home. I gingerly took it from him, making sure our skin never made contact. I slid my arms through the sleeves, pulling it up to my shoulders and began buttoning it. He captured both of my hands in his when I made it to the mid button. "There," he murmured. "You look lovely." I blushed once again. I had never been called lovely before. Not even by Ron. With a frown, I realized once again, he thought Astoria looked lovely. Not me. I smiled politely at him. "Thank you, love," I murmured.  
But I wasn't expecting him to lean in and press a soft kiss against my lips.  
For a moment, I was frozen. I couldn't respond. Then my mind shouted at me, play along you idiot! So I returned the kiss, just enough so it would pass for a kiss. Just because he was nice now, didn't dim my hate for him. It wasn't me he was being nice to.  
He was being nice to his true love.  
He pulled away and then led me to the king sized bed, climbing into it then tugging me in behind him. He slid beneath the covers and I mimicked him, tugging them up to my chin once he released my hands. He wrapped a hand around my waist and pulled me against his chest, hiding his face in my hair.  
"I love you."  
My heart stopped. Just completely stopped. I couldn't respond to that. I just couldn't. I didn't love him. I couldn't lie with something that big.  
But it looked like I wouldn't have to. Before I could even muster up a response, his breathing deepened and his arm went limp around my waist. After what felt like hours, I allowed my own eyes to close.  
I fell asleep listening to the heartbeat of the man I hate.


	2. Chapter Two

I grumbled, slowly waking up from a tickling sensation against my nose. I pried open one eye and was looking straight at a red rose beside my face on my pillow. I couldn't help but smile. Not for me, but because Draco cared enough about Astoria to leave her a rose.  
I frowned groggily as logic started to connect with my brain. Speaking of, the polyjuice potion only lasts a few hours...  
I shot straight up out of the bed, stumbling over to the dresser to look at myself in the mirror hanging above it. My light brown hair fell in frizzy curls down along my back, my eyes were a dark brown and I seemed to be slimmer and shorter. Oh, Merlin what if Draco saw me this morning as my true self before he left? I had been quite careless, I suppose, leaving out my bag that held the flasks in it and not drinking any before I went to bed...  
Surely he didn't know it was me, though. He was obviously long gone and if he had saw it was me, I doubt he would have left a rose on my pillow. At that thought, I turned to face the bed again, studying the flower. It really was lovely. It obviously had just went into full bloom, the red looking brighter than it should against the white of the pillow.  
I turned and walked over to his desk, picking up my bag from under the desk and setting it down on top of the desk, pulling out one of the flasks, tucking it beneath my arm as I searched through the bag to see what else the boys had put in here. I was surprised to see Harry had put his invisibility cloak in here. I lifted it out of the bag and draped it over my arm then picked up the bag, setting it down beside the desk, leaving walking space beside it just in case Draco or one of the house elves decided to look over this side or clean from this side, then I wrapped the invisibility cloak around it, smiling in satisfaction at now seemingly empty space.  
I then walked back over to the dresser, opening the top and second drawers. I pulled out clothes at random and walked over to the door beside the bed, opening it slowly then without hesitation when I realized I had been right; this room was a bathroom. I walked inside, closing the door behind me and locking it - just for good measure - before I stripped out of Draco's shirt, bra, and panties then I sat the flask along with the clothes I had chosen onto the sink. I kicked the clothes on the floor over to the wall then walked over to the shower, pulling open the see-through shower door before I turned on the water, adjusting it to the right temperature then stepping inside. While I washed my hair and body thoroughly, I allowed my mind to wander. I really was dumbfounded by the way Draco was acting. I still wasn't sure if he had changed, or if this was all for Astoria. I guess I would figure out in the few days I was going to be here.  
He had also mentioned yesterday that the death eaters were trying to build themselves up again. He had talked about it like he wasn't a part of it though; like he was just watching from the side. He was still a part of the group, so if they did actually bring up a death eater army, he would be a part of it just as much as the rest of them.  
Eventually, I turned off the shower and stepped out, pulling a towel off the rack beside me and wrapping it around me. I walked over to the sink and wiped the fogged up glass with the back of my hand before I reached down and picked up the flask from on top of the clothes, opening it and taking a large gulp. I coughed as soon as the foul liquid hit the back of my throat, but I kept my lips sealed shut to let it go down. I screwed the top closed then setting it down beside the clothes. I dropped the towel and quickly dressed.  
It turned out, I had chosen a pair of dress pants and a violet sweater. Did this woman not have any relaxing clothes? I lifted my gaze up to meet Astoria Malfoy's in the mirror, staring back at me. Her lovely face had replaced my, in my opinion, plain one. "Just six more days," I sighed softly.  
I pulled my hair up into a messy bun on top of my head, scooping up the clothes when I spotted a clothes hamper in the corner of the room and dumping them inside. I left the bathroom and walked back into the bedroom, eyeing the desk as soon as I entered the room.  
Now I had time to actually snoop.  
After putting the flask back into my invisible bag, I sat myself down in the cushioned computer chair and began searching.

Two hours and a growling stomach later, I had found nothing that could help me besides a map of the house. All that was here was letters from the Ministry, a newspaper article that was about the trial they held for the Malfoy's, letters for Astoria, and congratulation letters about the marriage. He had a few work papers scattered around, but no plans that had to do with death eaters. Sighing, I shoved all the papers back into their designated drawers, except for the map. I smoothed it open on the desk top and studied the many, many rooms all throughout the manor. There was the training room, the game room, the dining room, the kitchen, the living room, the entry hall, the house elves sleeping quarters, four guest bedrooms, six bathrooms, the room that was basically a picture gallery, a room with a heated pool, a basement, a garage, a library, and a man cave.  
What interested me the most was the one room that had no label. It was on the far end of the house, below ground. It was far apart from the basement and seemed to be sealed away by some sort of wall. Whatever it was, it bloody sure had to be important if it was sealed away. Going over the route to the underground level of the manor numerous times until it was printed in my brain, I neatly folded the map back up and slid it into the drawer. I slid off the chair then turned, searching the room with my eyes until I found what I was looking for: bedroom slippers. I slipped them on my feet before leaving the bedroom and walking down the hallway to the stairway, admiring the pictures hanging on the wall with interest. There were a few paintings as well; I remember Astoria painting a bit during our time at Hogwarts.  
I walked down the flight of stairs, thanking the heavens that Draco and Astoria's bedroom was only on the second floor. I wandered through the dining room then the living room, making my way down another hallway. I bumped into a few house elves, who apologized profusely but I simply waved them off. I feared if I talked to them, I couldn't be mean enough.  
Finally, I was opening a door that led down a murky, dusty, narrow stairway. I looked at the wooden steps skeptically. It looked like no one had been down these steps in ages. I still took a tentative step forward onto the first step and when it merely creaked quietly, I went down another, and another, and so forth until I reached the bottom.  
I looked around me at the cement hallway. It went from left to right, seeming endless. Torches were spaced out on the walls, lighting the way. I frowned, for the first time feeling sketchy about this. There had been a three headed dog protecting a stone my first year at Hogwarts; who knew what in Merlin's name he had protecting his death eater things?  
After a few moments, I reluctantly turned left and began walking, listening to my footsteps echo around me. I know I walked for at least a good thirty minutes, so I was quite infuriated when I approached a dead end.  
A blank wall stared back at me. Now, how was I supposed to get through cement? I reached forward and tapped the wall with my hand; it was solid. I had my arms crossed across my chest, tapping my side impatiently with my fingertips as I thought. Harry had gotten into the Chamber of Secrets by speaking in parseltongue and I knew I couldn't do that. I couldn't just walk through the wall, either, or go over it or under it. Then suddenly it came to me. To get into Diagon Alley, you had to tap out a certain pattern into the wall with your wand, so maybe that's what I had to do here.  
"Accio Hermione's wand," I muttered, my arms dropping back to my sides. I bounced on the balls of my feet while I waited, a smug smile on my face. When the wand dropped onto the floor beside me, I reached down and picked it up, then I was staring at the wall again.  
What would the code be?  
It wouldn't be some crummy old pattern. Draco wouldn't do something as boring as that. After a moment, I traced out a large M with my wand onto the wall, covering the entire surface.  
Nothing.  
I tried tracing out a S then a snakes tongue.  
Nothing.  
After a second of thought, I tried drawing a snake on the front of the door, with eyes and a forked tongue flicking out. Once I reached the tongue, the snake I had drew glowed a dull gold then with a hissing sound, the cement door slid up into the ceiling.  
My smug smile only got broader.  
I walked into the new hallway. This one was dark and damp, smelling a bit like wet dog. I shrugged it off, figuring a smell couldn't possibly make me go back. I continued forward, not pausing until I reached a large, old looking oak door. Hesitantly, I reached forward, turning the knob slowly before pushing it open.  
Jackpot.  
The room was lit by torches in every corner, shelves practically spilling books, and a ceiling so incredibly high. I saw a large, round oak wood table sitting in the middle of the room with fourteen chairs surrounding it, then against the far wall was a way more fancy looking desk than the one in the bedroom. I closed the door behind me, praying Draco wouldn't be home soon as I slowly walked around the room. Parchment covered the round table and the desk, all sorts of ideas and plans, even a few blueprints were scattered across the tops of them. The books on the shelves were all either hardback or leather-bound, the titles written on the spines usually in gold script; some of the titles were even in another language. Deciding on to start with the round table first, I approached it and studied the parchment scattered across it. There were spells scribbled down and my eyes widened when I saw what they were; they were the Unforgivable Curses. There were also a few fighting spells and others I didn't recognize - shocking - but I couldn't believe that the Unforgivable Curses were used in so many of these plans and blueprints that were lain across the table.  
I knew it. Draco hadn't become good at all, had he? He was the same evil, spiteful man I had always known. It was just because it was Astoria. Oddly enough, this actually caused a pain to shoot through my chest. Disappointment, maybe? I wasn't sure. I had seen enough. Then, as if some part of me still hoped, maybe this wasn't his. Maybe someone else was just using this room and he was playing along like a good death eater. A frown crossed my face. I doubted that, though. None of the other death eaters that I had known were smart enough to pull something like this off. It was Draco Malfoy.  
Why did it hurt every time I thought that?  
I heard footsteps above my head just as I left the room and had closed the door. I froze with my hand still glued on the knob. It couldn't be. He couldn't be home already. I swore then dashed down the hallway, relief flooding through me as I reached the once dead end and saw it was still open. I sprinted through the opening and down the hallway, the relief almost crippling me this time when I heard the hiss of the cement wall coming back down. When I reached the narrow stairs, I rushed up them, skipping two at a time as I did. Out of breath when I reached the top, I slammed the door shut behind me, sagging back against it. Blood was roaring in my ears while my heart slammed against my ribcage.  
"Love?" I heard Draco call out from the second floor. I speed walked to the living room that was about two rooms and hallway away and collapsed onto the couch as soon as I entered the room. It was only moments later that Draco appeared in the entryway to the living room. A smile broke out across his face when he saw me, but all I could see was the very few plans and blueprints I had seen in the hidden room. I hadn't seen him coming, so when he sat down on the edge of the couch and lifted my head into his lap, I had to stifle a sound of surprise and protest. I did have to admit, though, it felt relaxing when he began combing his fingers through my still damp hair. My eyes fluttered closed and soon, I gave into the sensation, relaxing into the cushions. "You seem so tense," he commented quietly. The bliss that I had only gave into a second ago evaporated. I plastered a false smile onto my face. "Oh, it's nothing, dear. Daphne is just going through some troubles," I said offhandedly. "Plus, you know how women are during the time of the month." I added on a slight giggle, but soon regretted it when it sounded nervous, even to my own ears. His fingers didn't pause their combing and after a few beats of silence, I realized he was waiting for me to relax again. I forced my muscles to loosen and I turned myself onto my side so he had better access to my hair, to make it look like I was encouraging him.  
Although, a guilty part of me did it because I loved the soothing sensation his fingers in my hair caused.  
He resumed combing his fingers through my hair again once I was settled and I heard the tiredness in his voice when he spoke. "Yes, I know. You sure that's all it is?" I took a deep breath and then, not missing a beat, I said in exasperation, "What else would it be? I stay home all day." I could practically hear him shrug, but other than that, there was no other response. I wanted to ignore the silence, but my mind nagged at me, knowing something was wrong.  
With a sigh, I sat up and turned so I was facing him, crossing my legs Indian style and I studied his expression. He looked so...strained. "What's wrong, love?" I asked him softly. Feeling that this was the way Astoria, his wife, would comfort him, I reached out and cupped his cheek in my hand. My thumb stroked over his high cheekbone lightly. Just as I was about to drop my hand, figuring I had done my job, he lifted his and covered mine with it, capturing my hand there. He leaned into my hand, his eyes sliding closed.  
I stared at his peaceful face in alarm. I hadn't meant for that to happen! I was just going to touch him like a wife would to comfort him!  
I smoothed my expression into a mask of calm when he opened his eyes and studied my face. Abruptly, his lips curved into a smile. "Nothing. Just stressed." I could have already guessed that. He was paler than usual, dark circles beneath his eyes, and he looked so tired. Strained, even.  
In a split decision, I said, "You don't have to tell me what's wrong, if you don't want to. I know something is wrong, Draco, and I also want you to know that whenever you do want to talk about it, I won't mind listening." I didn't say it unkindly, I thought, and it didn't seem he thought so either. He seemed surprised, actually. Did Astoria not act like this normally? I should have studied their relationship before doing this thing.  
After a moments pause, he said quietly, "Thank you." He leaned forward and before I realized what was happening, he pressed a kiss to my lips.  
I froze, just like I had the night before. I had to kiss him back, or else he would know something was up. Pushing my revulsion to the back of my mind, I tentatively returned the kiss lightly, resting my free hand on his chest.  
Things escalated rather quickly.  
His lips became more insistent on mine, more urgent. Surprised, I automatically responded the same to the kiss, my lips parting beneath his and the hand I had rested on his chest reaching up to tangle my fingers into his almost white locks. He slowly leaned further into me, giving me no other choice but to lie back on the couch with him hovering just inches above me. Finally, he broke away from the kiss and allowed my hand to drop from his cheek, only to trail his lips down along my jawline then my neck. Still dizzy from the lack of oxygen, I didn't realized what was happening until his lips was at the dip in my throat and beginning to go down to my chest. Completely forgetting that I wasn't Hermione, at least he didn't know I was, I shouted in panic, "Stop!"  
He instantly pulled away as soon as the single word left my lips. He sat up on the couch, his cheeks flushed and his breathing more labored. I levered myself up so I was resting on my elbows, trying to catch my breath. "I-I'm sorry," he said slowly, like he was unsure of himself. What I had done slowly dawned on me. A wife wouldn't tell her husband to stop doing that! Especially not if they looked like-  
I caught myself mid thought. I will not go there. Fumbling for a excuse, I said quickly, "Darling, it's not your fault. I was just surprised. It's me who should be apologizing. You were right, I am tense. Nothing a little sleep can't help, right?" I flashed him a smile, but without waiting for a response, I rolled off the couch and escaped the living room. I made sure I was out of his sight before I began running through rooms and up the marble stairway, slipping in my slippers down the hallway until I reached the bedroom. I opened the door and slipped inside, quickly shutting it behind me then pressing my back flat against it and tried to catch my breath for the third time today.  
I had just had a semi make-out session with a death eater that is trying to build up an army to take over the wizarding world.  
I didn't really have a choice, I reminded myself. I did have to pretend to be his wife while I was on this mission. That would require some kissing here and there, obviously. Why had I freaked out so bad? I grimaced faintly as I realized I should of reacted worse, after what I had just seen. I hadn't even seen everything yet.  
Which meant tomorrow, I had to go down there earlier so I could get more information, more facts and details.  
But today wasn't over with.


End file.
